Method and an apparatus for high-purity bottling of beverages

ABSTRACT

The present invention refers to a method for high-purity bottling of beverages and an apparatus for carrying out such a method. For achieving high-purity bottling within a confined space and for reducing the operating expenses in comparison with conventional plants, it is suggested that an immersion bath sterilizer should be connected directly to a rotary filling machine and that the rotary filling machine should be arranged in a clean room, whereas in the area of the bottle conveying path through said clean room ultraclean-room conditions are created.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to a method and an apparatus forhigh-purity bottling of beverages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is generally known, it is of essential importance in beveragebottling processes that the beverages are bottled such that they keep aslong as possible, i.e. bacteria, for example, must be prevented fromimpairing the keeping time of the products. Certain products, especiallymicrobiologically susceptible products, require a heat treatment so asto achieve a sufficiently good keeping quality. In the case of someproducts a heat treatment of less than 100° Celsius will suffice (thisis referred to as pasteurization), in the case of other productstemperatures exceeding 100° Celsius must be applied so as to achieve agood keeping quality of these products. This is referred to assterilization or autoclaving.

Other beverages, such as lemonades or mineral waters containing CO₂, do,however, not require an increased temperature of the product at the timeof bottling. When this type of beverages is bottled, it will suffice totake care that adequately hygienic operating conditions are guaranteedso as to be able to produce packages with keeping quality in themicrobiological sense. However, if beverages containing alcohol and/orCO₂ are of such a nature that specific microorganisms may develop andthe beverages in question may, consequently, perish, they require anadditional equipment of the plant for controlling these microorganisms,e.g. external rinsing, disinfection possibilities and sterile media.Such bottling methods normally comprise the bottling of products such aswine, champagne or beer and also microbiologically susceptiblerefreshing drinks containing CO₂.

Finally there are so-called cold-sterile or aseptic bottling methods,which are actually the methods dealt with in the present invention.Normally, these methods are used for non-alcoholic beverages and forbeverages containing no CO₂. As far as this type of beverages isconcerned, not only the classic beverage pests, such as yeasts, moulds,acetic-acid and lactic-acid bacteria, but also pathogenic bacteria (e.g.salmonellae) must be taken into account as pests causing the beveragesto perish, especially in the case of products whose main characteristicis a pH value that exceeds 4.5. Hence, these bottling methods require ahigh-purity bottling process, i.e. in particular also special plants andspecial measures in the field of process engineering, especiallyventilation measures, in order to guarantee a high-purity bottlingprocess. The term “high-purity” in the sense of this applicationdescribes a bottling process in an atmosphere which contains only germsin the order of up to a few 100 per cubic meter of air, and especiallyless than 100; in the following, this will also be referred to as“ultraclean-room conditions”. If the terms “clean” or “clean-roomconditions” are, however, used, this means a number of germs in theorder of 10,000, especially, however, less than 10,000 germs per cubicmeter air.

The present invention refers to methods and apparatuses of this type. Acharacteristic of these methods and apparatuses is also that suchmethods are normally used for bottling products containing nopreservative agents at room temperature and that the packages are notsubjected to any thermal aftertreatment.

A known method of this type is described e.g. in European patentapplication 0120 789. In the case of this European patent application,the stream of bottles is first conducted to a first rinser in a buildingwhich is under clean-room atmosphere in its entirety. The area in whichthe rinser is arranged is under sterile air itself. The bottles aretreated in such a way that they are ultraclean. Following this, thebottles are transported along an L-shaped transport path of considerablelength through the clean room, whereupon they encounter a second rinserarranged in a room which is again under an ultraclean-room atmosphere.The germs and the bacteria which the bottles picked up on their waythrough the clean room from the first rinser to the second rinser arehere e.g. neutralized. Subsequently, the stream of bottles moves intothe filling machine, which is also arranged in the ultraclean room. Inaddition, a closing machine is provided in the ultraclean roomdownstream of the filling machine. Since the whole plant, comprisingseveral rinsers with intermediate treatment paths, the filling machineand the closing machine, is arranged in a clean room or ultraclean roomatmosphere in its entirety, this has the effect that the measures whichhave to be taken for observing the respective air conditions are verycomplicated and expensive. The large volumes of the rooms which musthere be maintained ultraclean necessitate high operating expenses. Inaddition, it is disadvantageous that a second rinser must be used so asto neutralize the germs which the bottles picked up on their way fromthe first rinser to the second.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from this prior art, it is the object of the present inventionto provide a method and an apparatus for high-purity bottling ofbeverages by means of which the expenditure can substantially be reducedand by means of which it is especially possible to operate a plant ofthe type in question at a much more moderate price but nevertheless witha higher degree of purity than has hitherto been the case.

The method according to the present invention comprises the steps ofconducting the bottles first from normal surroundings into the dirt sideof a immersion bath sterilizer comprising a dirt side and aultraclean-room side, where said bottles run on a path through variousimmersion baths which are, at least partially, arranged one on top ofthe other and/or side by side, and, in so soing, they also pass at leastone wall separating the dirt side from the ultraclean-room side. At theoutlet of the ultraclean-room side of the immersion bath sterilizer,they are then transferred to the feed star of a rotary filling machine,and from said rotary filling machine to a closing machine. The fillingmachine and the closing machine are arranged in a room in which at leastclean-room conditions prevail, whereas ultraclean-room conditions arecreated in the direct area of the filling members and in the direct areaof the closing members. According to the present invention, the bottlesonly pass through one immersion bath sterilizer. The immersion bathsterilizer is divided into at least two rooms having different degreesof cleanliness. By means of at least one suitable partition, the inletside can be separated from the outlet side in such a way that, whenmoving out of the immersion bath sterilizer, the bottles will have thehighest degree of cleanliness. Other than in the case of the prior art,the bottles are then not conducted along a path of considerable lengththrough a clean room, where they could pick up germs again, but they aretransferred directly to the rotary filling machine. It will suffice toprovide the filling machine and the closing machine in a room in whichclean room conditions prevail, i.e. in which the highest degree ofcleanliness does not exist, provided that it is guaranteed thatultraclean-room conditions prevail at least in the direct area of thefilling members and in the direct area of the closing members. This canbe realized by measures accomplishing a suitable local sterile airsupply.

Due to the combination of the immersion bath sterilizer and the rotaryfilling machine which is connected directly to said immersion bathsterilizer, the transport paths are kept as short as possible and apossible renewed contamination of bottles which are already in ahigh-purity condition is therefore avoided. The plant as a whole has avery compact structural design. Since it is only the filling machine andthe closing machine that are to be accommodated in one room, in whichonly clean-room conditions must prevail provided that ultraclean-roomconditions are produced locally in the area of the bottles at thefilling machine and at the closing machine, the room volumes requiredare much smaller so that also the necessary amount of sterile air willbe smaller, and this will permit a reduction of the operating expensesin their entirety.

According to one embodiment of the method, the bottles are passed, in animmersion bath, below at least one wall separating the dirt side fromthe ultraclean-room side. This type of measure guarantees that thebottles do not carry along any contaminations from the dirt side to theultraclean-room side. The immersion bath is the gate between theultraclean-room side and the dirt side. Special sealing measures are notnecessary.

In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, the bottles areconducted through the immersion bath sterilizer on spiral-shaped paths.By means of these measures, it is guaranteed that the necessary cleaningsteps can be carried out within a comparatively confined space.

The bottles are transported from the outlet of the immersion bathsterilizer up to the inlet of the rotary filling machine in a tunnelwhich encompasses the bottle conveying means. In such a tunnelultraclean-room conditions can be created comparatively easily. The airvolumes are not very large so that, by means of this measure, theoperating expenditure can be kept low, especially as far as theprovision of sterile air is concerned.

The apparatus according to the present invention comprises an immersionbath sterilizer, the interior of which is divided into a dirt side and aultraclean-room side by means of at least one partition, a rotaryfilling machine connected directly to the outlet of the immersion bathsterilizer on the ultraclean-room side, a closing machine connecteddirectly to the rotary filling machine, and means for maintainingultraclean-room conditions in the area of the bottle conveying path fromthe outlet of the immersion bath sterilizer on the ultraclean-room sideto the outlet of the closing machine.

Due to the fact that the apparatus essentially consists of two maincomponents, viz. the immersion bath sterilizer and the rotary fillingmachine, which follow one another directly, the amount of space requiredfor the whole plant is kept small. Since means are additionally providedfor maintaining the ultraclean-room conditions in the area of the bottletransport path from the immersion bath sterilizer to the closingmachine, it is not necessary to operate the whole room, in which thefilling machine and the closing machine are arranged, under suchconditions. Means which are suitable for maintaining theseultraclean-room conditions in the area of the bottle transport path aree.g. tunnel-shaped encasements of the bottle transport path or covers inthe area of the filling members, which permit sterile air to beintroduced precisely in these areas.

In accordance with a preferred structural design of the immersion bathsterilizer, the partition provided in the interior of said immersionbath sterilizer is a substantially vertically extending partition. Thedirt side and the ultraclean-room side can easily be separated by thepartition in this way.

When, in accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of theapparatus, at least two immersion baths are arranged one on top of theother or side by side on the ultraclean-room side of the immersion bathsterilizer, space will be saved. The bottles can then be subjected tovarious treatment steps within a comparatively confined space.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the rotary filling machine andthe closing machine are arranged in a clean room whose dimensions exceedthe dimensions of said first-mentioned components only to such an extentthat maintenance work can be carried out at said rotary filling machineand at said closing machine. The dimensions of the clean roomsurrounding the filling machine and the closing machine are thereforekept as small as possible, and this, in turn, will reduce the costs formaintaining the clean-room conditions.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the closure elements, which areattached to the bottles by the closing machine, are supplied to saidclosing machine from outside the clean room through a disinfectionmeans. This guarantees that also the closure elements will satisfyhigh-purity requirements. In addition, the closure elements can beadvanced continuously without having to intrude in the ultraclean-roomarea.

When, finally, at least one sterile-air generator is arranged outsidethe clean room, said sterile-air generator opening into theultraclean-room region at the side of the area of the filler rotor viaconduits extending through the clean room, this will guarantee thatsterile air satisfying the high-purity conditions is introduced directlyinto the area of the filling members of the filling machine, i.e. it isintroduced at the point where it is actually needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the present invention will be explained and describedstill further on the basis of an embodiment shown in the drawing, inwhich

FIG. 1 shows a schematic, perspective view of the apparatus according tothe present invention and

FIG. 2 shows a schematic, perspective view of a immersion bathsterilizer according to the pre sent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 a schematic, perspective view of the apparatus according tothe present invention is shown. The figure shows an immersion bathsterilizer 2 whose discharge side opens into a room 1 accommodating arotary filling machine 3 and a closing machine 4. The immersion bathsterilizer 2 is connected directly to the rotary filling machine 3without any intermediate other treatment machines being provided. Theroom 1 is closed by a ceiling 22 having a sterile-air blower 23 attachedthereto. This sterile-air blower 23 produces sterile air making use offilters which are not shown in detail. From said sterile-air blower 23,a conduit 24 leads into the area where the filling valves of the rotaryfilling machine 3 are arranged.

The closing machine 4 has closure caps supplied thereto from a storagereceptacle 21 of the closure-cap supply means 5. From said closure-capsupply means the closure caps are conducted into a disinfection bath 6whereupon they are advanced through a gate means 20 and via a conduit 26to the closing machine 4.

The area of the feed star 18 and of the closing machine 4 as well as thecircumferential area of the rotary filling machine 3 are enclosed by awall 19 extending up to the immersion bath sterilizer 2. An area whichis separated from said room 1 and in which an ultraclean-room atmospherecan be maintained via the conduit 24 is provided in this way in the areaof the bottle-transport path and in the region where the bottlescirculate. Ultraclean-room atmosphere means in this connection a veryhigh degree of sterility, e.g. in the order of less than 100 germs percubic meter.

In the residual part of room 1 clean-room conditions prevail (in theorder of less than 10,000 germs per cubic meter).

The structural design of the immersion bath sterilizer 2 isschematically shown in FIG. 2, whereas only part of said immersion bathsterilizer 2 is shown in FIG. 1. An immersion bath sterilizer which issuitable for use in connection with the present invention is, inprinciple, an immersion bath sterilizer 2 of the type described e.g. inEuropean patent application No. 92 113 599, which is herewith referredto. This immersion bath sterilizer 2 must, however, be modified suchthat the dirt side and the ultraclean-room side are clearly separated.For this purpose, a partition 10 is provided in the immersion bathsterilizer 2 shown in FIG. 2. By means of this partition 10, theimmersion bath sterilizer 2 is subdivided into an ultraclean-room side 9and a dirt side 8. The term dirt side means in the present connectionthat there is no special sterility on this side, but that there arenormal conditions which prevail also in the environment outside of theimmersion bath sterilizer 2 in the area of the feed belt 11.

In the interior of the immersion bath sterilizer 2, a plurality ofimmersion baths are implemented. A first immersion bath 14 is providedin the bottom area. The wall 10 extends with its lower edge 27 into saidimmersion bath 14 thus forming a hydraulic lock. Germs from the dirtside 8 are therefore prevented from penetrating into the ultraclean-roomside 9. When seen in a side view from above, a dome and draining zone 15is provided in the rear third of the immersion bath sterilizer 2 abovethe first immersion bath 14. In addition, a second immersion bath 16 aswell as a further draining zone 17 are arranged above the firstimmersion bath 14.

The partition 10 has in the upper area thereof a feed-through bath 28acting as a hydraulic lock and filled with a disinfectant; the endlessconveying chain, which is only shown in its trans port path 13, runsthrough said feedthrough bath 28 without carrying any bottles 7 on itsway from the ultraclean-room side 9 back to the dirt side 8.

The immersion bath sterilizer 2, the rotary filling machine 3 and theclosing machine 4 as well as the transport members associated therewithare driven synchronously, a singlerow, continuous transport of bottlesbeing realized throughout the whole process. The bottles 7 on thedischarge belt 12 of the immersion bath sterilizer 2, which constitutessimultaneously the feed belt of the rotary filling machine 3, aretransferred in a spaced relationship which is adapted to the pocketintervals of the feed star from the conveying chain of the immersionbath sterilizer 2 to the feed star 18 of the rotary filling machine 3 bymeans of a transport member that is not shown, e.g. a feed screw or apocket-type belt.

By means of the apparatus described on the basis of FIG. 1 and 2, themethod according to the present invention can now be carried out asfollows:

the empty bottles 7 arriving one by one in a single row on a feed belt11 enter the dirt side 8 of the immersion bath sterilizer 2 where theyare received by the conveying chain provided with grippers, not shown,and conducted through the immersion bath sterilizer 2 along aspiral-shaped route (transport path 13). They are first transported intothe immersion bath 14, which is filled with a suitable sterilizationliquid, on the dirt side, whereupon they pass below the lower edge 27 ofthe partition 10 in the immersion bath 14 and then they are transportedalong a spiral-shaped path to the dome and draining zone 15. When theprocess is being continued, they run through a second immersion bath 16,which is filled with sterile water, before they are then moved via asecond draining zone 17 to the discharge belt 12 where they are putdown. By means of this treatment in the partially superimposed baths, ahigh degree of cleanliness of the bottles 7 is provided within anextremely confined space. From the discharge belt 12, the bottles 7 passthrough the short tunnel 29 and arrive in the engaging area of the feedstar 18 which transfers said bottles 7 to the rotary filling machine 3for the purpose of filling. At the outlet of the rotary filling machine3 the bottles 7 arrive at the closing machine 4 and from said closingmachine 4 they move to the outlet 25 where they leave the room 1 and aresupplied e.g. to a labelling machine, which is not shown. An ultracleansterile-air atmosphere, which is produced by the sterile-air blower 23via the conduit 24, is created from the ultraclean-room side 9 of theimmersion bath sterilizer 2 up to the outlet of the closing machine 4through the tunnel 29 and the walls 19 in the area of the feed star 18,the filling members of the rotary filling machine 3 and the closingmachine 4. It goes without saying that a plurality of such sterile-airblowers can be used and connected to the sterile-air areas at variouspoints, also at the immersion bath sterilizer 2.

The size of the room 1 is chosen such that it is only slightly largerthan the space required for the rotary filling machine 3 and the closingmachine 4 so that, although an operator can easily enter said room so asto carry out maintenance work, the volume in its entirety can be keptsmall. Due to the fact that the immersion bath sterilizer 2 is directlyconnected to the rotary filling machine 3 and ultraclean-room conditionsare created in the areas specified hereinbefore, it will suffice when aclean-room atmosphere prevails in room 1. The immersion bath sterilizer2 can partially project into said room 1.

It follows that, taking all this into account, the present inventionrequires little space for producing beverages that are filled intobottles or similar vessels by a high-purity filling process, and, inaddition, it achieves a high degree of cleanliness because, after havingleft the immersion bath sterilizer, the bottles maintain their highdegree of cleanliness until they arrive at the closing machine, i.e.they are not exposed to an atmosphere having a lower degree ofcleanliness.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for high-purity bottling of beveragesinto bottles, including bottles made of plastic material or glass,comprising the steps of: a) advancing the bottles (7) to first travelinto a dirt side (8) of an immersion bath sterilizer (2), said bathsterilizer comprising the dirt side and an ultraclean-room side, saidultraclean-room side (9) having an atmosphere containing less than onehundred germs per cubic meter of air, b) advancing the bottles to run ona path (13) through at least one immersion bath (14, 16), c) advancingthe bottles to pass at least one wall (10) separating the dirt side fromthe ultraclean-room side, d) transferring the bottles at an outlet ofthe ultraclean-room side of the immersion bath sterilizer (2) to aninlet of a rotary filling machine (2) wherein said bottles are filledwhile arranged in an arcuate path, said rotary filling machine (3) and aclosing machine (4) being arranged in a room (1) in which clean-roomconditions, wherein the atmosphere contains less than 10,000 germs percubic meter of air, prevail, and e) creating ultraclean-room conditionsof less than one hundred germs per cubic meter of air along a bottleconveying belt from the outlet of the immersion bath sterilizer (2) tothe filling machine, the closing machine (4) and to an outlet of saidclosing machine for transferring said bottles in said ultraclean-roomconditions.
 2. The method according to claim 1, and the further step of,in the immersion bath (14), passing the bottles below a wall (10)separating the dirt side (8) from the ultraclean-room side (9).
 3. Themethod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the step of advancing thebottles to run a path (13) through at least one immersion bath (14, 16),the bottles advance through the at least one immersion bath onspiral-shaped paths (13).
 4. The method according to claim 1 of 2,wherein in the step of transferring the bottles from the outlet of theultraclean-room side of the immersion bath sterilizer (2) to the inletof a rotary filling machine (3), the bottles advance on a bottleconveying belt through a tunnel (29) encompassing said bottle conveyingbelt (12) and in said tunnel ultraclean-room conditions are created. 5.An apparatus for high purity bottling of beverages into bottles,including bottles made of glass or plastic materials, comprising incombination an immersion bath sterilizer (2) an interior of which isdivided into a dirt side (8) and an ultraclean-room side (9) by means ofat least one partition (10), said ultraclean-room side having anatmosphere containing less than one hundred germs per cubic meter ofair; a rotary filling machine (3) wherein said bottles are filled whilearranged in an arcuate path, said rotary filling machine connecteddirectly to an outlet of said immersion bath sterilizer (2) on theultraclean-room side; a closing machine (4) connected directly to saidrotary filling machine (3); and means (19, 23, 29) for maintainingultraclean-room conditions and defining an ultraclean-room region ofsaid rotary filling machine and closing machine, said rotary filling andclosing machines being arranged in a clean room wherein the atmospherecontains less than 10,000 germs per cubic meter of air; and a bottleconveying path from the outlet of said immersion bath sterilizer (2) onthe ultraclean-room side to the filling machine, to the closing machine,and to the outlet of said closing machine (4) wherein the bottles aretransferred in ultraclean-room conditions in which the atmospherecontains less than one hundred germs per cubic meter of air.
 6. Anapparatus according to claim 5, wherein said partition is asubstantially vertically extending partition (10).
 7. An apparatusaccording to claim 5 or 6, wherein on the ultraclean-room side (9) ofsaid immersion bath sterilizer (2) at least two immersion baths (14, 16)are arranged side by side.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,wherein closure elements, which are attached to the bottles (7) by saidclosing machine (4), are supplied to said closing machine (4) fromoutside the clean room (1) through a disinfection means (6).
 9. Anapparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein outside of the clean room(1), at least one sterile-air blower (23) is arranged, which, viaconduits (24) extending through the clean room (1), is connected to theultraclean-room region of said rotary filling machine.
 10. An apparatusaccording to claim 5 or 6, wherein outside of the clean room (1), atleast one sterile-air blower (23) is arranged, said blower is connectedto the ultraclean-room side of said immersion bath sterilizer (2). 11.An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said immersion bathsterilizer (2), said rotary filling machine (3) and said closing machine(4) are adapted to be driven synchronously.
 12. An apparatus accordingto claim 5 or 6, wherein on the ultraclean-room side (9) of saidimmersion bath sterilizer (2) at least two immersion baths (14, 16) arearranged one on top of the other.